Action headgear with spring actuated flying propeller



May 11, 1965 J. W. RYAN ACTION HEADGEAR WITH SPRING ACTUATED FLYING PROPELLER Filed March 30, 1962 INVENTOR. JOA/A/ 1 14 PJ A/V ATTOQ/VEV United States Patent 3,182,422 ACTION HEADGEAR WITH SPRING ACTUATED FLYING PROPEL'LER John W. Ryan, 11027 Cashmere St., Bel Aire, Calif. Filed Mar. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 183,786 2 Claims. (Cl. 4684) The present invention relates generally to an action toy in the form of a headgear structure, and more particularly to a toy headgear structure which may be operated Without any externally obvious manipulation of the structure.

Children have always been and probably always will be fascinated by action toys, that is, toys which do something. With most toys, however, the child must manipulate the device as by pushing a button, pulling a lever, raising it, lowering it, turning it on its side or something of the like. While such toys are enjoyed by children, they generally lack a mystery or surprise quality since the child can see the connection between his manipulation and the action of the toy.

Various devices have been devised to capitalize on childrens enjoyment of such mysterious and surprising activity. As a child does not look as deeply into things as an adult may, the lack of a direct correlation between what he does and the action of the toy, or at least the lack of such a connection as he can readily understand, will greatly enhance the fascination and enjoyment of the child with the toy. Some of the prior art devices provide merely a delay over which the child has no control; others provide devices which operate only after an impact so that once the device is started on the way the child has no control over the effect.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved action toy. It is a further object of this invention to present an action toy which is operable without externally obvious manipulation of the device. It is a more specific object of this invention to provide an action toy in the form of a headgear structure which is operable incident to a vocal command by the wearer, but not by others, to create the illusion that the device will respond to such a stimulus only from ,its master. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy hat which propels an object a distance that may be varied by the vocal command given to actuate that hat. It is a still further object to provide such a device which is simple and economical to produce, yet which is rugged and long lasting.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an action toy in the form of a headgear which embodies various features of the present invention, the headgear shown being worn on the head of the wearer and also shown in phantom in its action position after having been actuated;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the toy shown in FIG- URE 1, with parts broken away and in section to more fully disclose the internal structure of the toy;

FIGURE 3 is a view (with parts broken away and in section) taken generally along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the drive member of the toy;

FIGURE 5 is a view taken generally along line 5--5 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the adjustable sleeve and a portion of the chin cord of the toy.

The preferred embodiment of the invention, which embodiment is designated generally 10, comprises a headgear section 12 which fits upon the head of the child, and

3,182,422 Patented May 11, 1965 a propeller section 14 which is releasably supported on the headgear section 12. Means are provided in the illustrated toy 10 for actuating the propeller section 14 to cause it to whirl up and away, i.e., rotate upwardly and outwardly away from the other section. The toy 10 is operated to whirl away from the propeller section 14 when the child-wearer moves his jaw or chin as when he utters a command to fire or take-off. This is accomplished by providing a cord or strap 16 which appears to be merely a chin strap for holding the device on the childs head, but which is connected to the means for actuating the propeller section 14. The cord 16 passes under the chin or jaw of the child in close proximity thereto so that when he moves has chin the actuating means is operated and the propeller section 14 whirls off into space.

Thus, the operation of the device will be entertaining and mysterious to the child and to his friends. When the master of the magic hat, the wearer says the magic word, the propeller soars off into space. When his friends repeat the word, nothing happens. Further, as will be seen, the distance which the propeller will soar may also be generally controlled by the master of the hat.

Now considering the structure of the illustrated toy 10 in detail, the headgear section 12, seen best in FIG- URES 1 and 2, includes a downwardly open hemispherical shell or skull cap 18. The skull cap 18 may be made from any suitable material such as plastic or metal, and may be provided with external ornamentation such as shown at 20 in the drawings. There is a circular aperture 22 extending through the cap 18 at approximately its apex or center. Disposed in the circular aperture 22 is an elongated vertically oriented cylindrical hollow sleeve 24, the lower end of which extends a short distance into the skull cap 18, the upper end extending upwardly from the skull cap as seen best in FIGURES 1 and 2. The upper edge of the sleeve 24 is provided with an inwardly extending circular peripheral flange 26 which defines a circular aperture or opening 27 at the upper end of the sleeve 24. The sleeve 24 may be a separate part secured into position or may be formed as an integral part with the skull cap 18.

The drive means for the illustrated toy includes an elongated generally cyclindrical hollow drive member 28, shown in detail in FIGURE 4, which is vertically disposed in sleeve 24 for rotation about a generally vertical axis. The upper end 29 of the drive member 2% extends upwardly through the aperture 27 of the sleeve 24, While the lower end of the drive member 28 is provided with an outwardly extending peripheral flange 30 which has a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced ratchettype projections or teeth 30a. The upper end 29 of the member 28 is formed,- as will be explained more fully below, to releasably support the propeller action 14. The tooth flange 30 is releasably engaged by the control means for the toy to limit the rotation of the drive member 28 when the drive mechanism is set.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the drive means for the i1- lustrated toy further includes a drive spring 32 which is coiled into a generally cylindrical shape and is disposed, when the toy is assembled, in a vertically extending position in the sleeve 24 and surrounding the drive member 28. The upper end of the coiled drive spring 32 is designated 32a, while the lower end is designated 32b. The upper end 32a is bent inwardly, so as to generally bisect the cylinder, and is received in a pair of transversely extending slots 33 located at opposite sides of the wall of the drive member 28 at its upper end 29. The lower end 32b of the spring is bent outwardly and, in the assembled structure, passes through a vertical slot in the lower end of the sleeve 24. Thus, one end of the spring is fixed to the sleeve 24 while the other end of the spring is fixed 3 to the drive member 28; when the drive member 28 is rotated within the sleeve 24, the spring 32 is twisted about the axis of its cylinder and thus tensioned and will tend to rotate the drive member 28 in the opposite direction material such as various plastics, and the shape of the extreme end portions of the member 28, the lips 74 of the preferred embodiment are somewhat resilient or flexible.

The propeller section 14 is releasably supported at the upper end 29 of the drive member 28 through such a connection that when the propeller 14 is assembled upon the upper end- 29 and the propeller section 14 rotated in a particular direction, the drive member 28 will be rotated in that direction tensioning the spring 32. When the drive member 28' is subsequently released, permitting it to rotate in response to the urging of the spring 32,-the connection will likewise cause the propeller section 14 to be rotated by the drive member, but it will further permit the propeller section 14 to move upwardly relative to the drive member so as to whirl or sail free and away from the remainder of the toy.

The propeller section 14 comprises generally a flat cylindrical hub 76, a pair of opposed radially extending blades 78, and a thin circular support ring.80 connected to the outer tips of the blades 78.-

The propeller section 14 may be constructed of any desired material, but it has been found to be convenient and efiective to form substantially the entire propeller section 14 from a single casting of a lightweight plastic material. This not only facilitates ready manufacture,

but further minimizes the chances of parts of the propeller section becoming separated and lost, and still further provides a propeller structure which, because of its light weight, will tend to soar and rise to enhance the enjoygenerally smooth in configuration, being smaller at their. They inner ends and enlarging toward their outer ends. are tilted or sloped to the horizontal and in opposite directions so that counterclockwise rotation of the propeller section 14 will cause it to rise. An angle of tilt of about to the horizontal has been found to provide satisfactory operation. As noted above, the thin circular support ring 80 is fixed to the outer tips ofthe two blades 78 As seen in FIGURE 5, there is afiixed to the undersurface of thehub 76 a downwardly extending circular wall or flange 82. The flange 82 is located generally centrally of the circular hub 76, and has a circumferential inwardly extending rib 83. Fixed to the undersurface of the hub 76 and to the inside of the flange 82 are a pair of opposed cam ribs or projections 84. These cam ribs 84 extend along a cord of the circle defined by flange 82, each extending from the flange 82 only part of the way toward the center of the defined circle. When the propeller section 14 is assembled onto the drive member 28, the upper end 29 of the drive member 28 is received within the recess defined by the flange 82 of the propeller section 14, and the vertical cam surfaces 72 on the propeller section 14 are brought into engagement with the cam ribs or projections 84 on the drive member 28 when the propeller section 14 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 5). The semi-resilient lips 74 at the upper extremities of the drive member 28 are forced over the rib 83 of the flange 82 when the propeller section 14 is mounted, and serve to resiliently maintain the propeller section 14 on the drive member 28 until the toy is actuated. Thus, the propeller section'14 is merely placed into position and it will remainthere during normal activity of the wearer and without any special latching or the like.

The control means for restricting the rotation of the drive member 28 by the spring 32 comprises a latch or locking member 34 which is movably supported on the skull cap 18 for releasablyengaging'the tooth flangewheel 30. More specifically, suitable guides 36' are formed in the underside of the cap 18 adjacent the aperture 22 and the lower end of the sleeve 24 to slidably receive the latch 34. The latch 34 is disposed to move radially of the toothed flange 30 into and out of engagement with the teeth 38a of the flange. The inner end of the latch 34 is beveled to form a point orfinger'34a at one side of the.

18 to protect the operation of the control mechanism,

i.e., the engagement and disengagement of the latch 34 with the drive member :28 and the free rotation of the drive member 28. The housing 36 is provided by a circular wall 38' afiixed to the underside of the cap 18 and a circular cover 44 having an upwardly extending peripheral flange which fits snugly outside of the wall 38 to hold the cover 40 in place. As seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, four stubs or spacers 41 are fixed to the underside of the 'hat 18 and spaced around the aperture 22 to maintain the cover 48 a sufficient distance from the moving parts of the toy.

The latch 34 is biased inwardly toward the position of engagement with the toothed flange 30 as shown in FIG- URE 3 by a small generally U-shaped spring 42, one end of which abuts a small projection on the latch 34 and the other end of which abuts the wall 38 of the housing 36.

The control means also includes the operating cord 16 which is connected to the latch 34 and, as shown in FIGURE 1, is adapted to extend under'the chin or jaw of the child-wearer in close proximity thereto. More specifically, one end of the cord 16 is securedto the outer end of the latch 34 as seen in FIGURE 2. The cord 16 then extends generally downwardly through a guide loop 44 at the lower edge of the cap 18, under the chin of the wearer, through a second loop 46 at the edge of the cap 18 opposite loop 44,- and up along the cap 18 to a point thereon approximately opposite from the first end of the cord 16, and is connected to the cap 18 at that point.

The cord 16 is provided with means to make it adjustable so that it may be made to fit generally snugly under the chin of the wearer; thus, when the wearer moves his chin, as by opening his mouth to utter a command, the snug fit insures movement of the cord 16 sufliciently to operate the toy. The adjustability of the cord is provided by a cylindrical adjusting sleeve 48, shown in detail in FIGURE 6, which receives the two strands of the lower endof the loop created by the cord 16. The sleeve 48 has an outwardly extended peripheral flange 49 at its upper end which permits it to be readily grasped by the wearer with'one hand while he holds the lower end of the loop with the other hand. Then the sleeve 48 is pushed upwardly relative to the loop to provide a snug fit of the cord 16 on the wearer. Due to friction and the outward or transverse and opposite pull exerted on the strands of the cord 16 when the chin or jaw'of the wearer moves, the sleeve 48 tends to maintain itself relative to the cord.

The operation of the device may now be readily understood. The propeller section 14 is placed down upon the upper end 29 of the drive member 28 and rotated in a counterclockwise direction. The drive spring 32 is thus tensioned, the drive member 28 being retained in the loaded or tcnsioned position by the engagement of the finger 34a of the latch 34 with one of the teeth 30a of the flange 30, preventing rotation of the drive member 28 in the clockwise direction. The winding of the member 28 is facilitated by the bevel at the end of the latch 34 and by the ratchet-type teeth 30a of the flange 38, the latch 34 being moved outwardly against its biasing spring 42 as each tooth 30a passes it during the winding. The propeller member or section 14 is releasably retained on the drive member 28 by the engagement of the lips 74 at the upper end 29 of the member 28 with the rib 83 which extends around the flange 82 on the propeller section 14.

The skull cap 18 is placed on the head of the wearer and the sleeve 48 adjusted to provide a snug fit of the cord 16 beneath his chin or jaw.

When the wearer desires to actuate the toy, he moves his chin or jaw as by opening his mouth to make a statement, utter a command, or the like. This movement causes the cord 16 to pull the latch 34 outwardly against its biasing spring 42 to permit the drive member 28 to rotate under the urging of the tensioned drive spring 32. The vertical cam surfaces 72 of the drive member 28 abutting the cam ribs 84 of the propeller section 14 serve to transmit the force of the drive spring 32 to the propeller section. The propeller section is thus caused to twirl. The force of the air against the rotating tilted blades 78 causes the propeller section 14 to tend to rise. Also, when the drive member 28 ceases to rotate, either because the wearer has allowed the latch 84 to reengage or because the force of the drive spring 32 has dissipated, the momentum or inertia of the propeller section 14 will tend to continue to rotate it and the cam ribs 84 will tend to ride up the sloped surfaces 70 of the drive member. The forces tending to lift and whirl the propeller section 14 will readily overcome the frictional forces and the resilient engagement between the rib 83 and the projections 74. The propeller section is thus whirled or sailed upwardly into the air to the entertainment and enjoyment of the child wearer.

As the period of disengagement of the latch 34 may be directly controlled by the chin movement of the wearer, it is possible for him to control, in a general way, the duration of the force applied to the propeller section, and thus to control generally the distance which the propeller section will sail.

The illustrated toy permits the wearer to imagine or pretend that his vocal commands are controlling the operation of the propeller. Further, the same vocal commands from others will not achieve the same effect. It is also possible for the wearer to exert a certain amount of control over the action of the propeller. Thus, a highly entertaining and amusing mystery or surprisetype toy is provided which is simple to manufacture and 60 operate, economical to produce, yet rugged and resistent to damage.

The details of the illustrated structure may obviously be varied or changed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as set forth in the following claims, which call for various features of the present invention.

What is claimed is: 1. An action toy in the form of a headgear with a 5 launchable propeller means, said toy comprising:

(a) a cap adapted to rest on the head of the wearer,

(b) rotatable propeller means releasably supported on said cap,

(0) a rotary drive means on said cap engageable with said propeller means to rotate said propeller means and thereby launch it,

(d) a latch on said cap releasably restricting the [1'0- tation of said drive means, and

(e) a cord connected to said latch and adapted to extend underneath the jaw of the wearer in close enough proximity thereto to be movable by' the movement of the jaw to release said latch, whereby the wearer may free said propeller means to rotate upwardly and clear of said cap by merely moving his jaw.

2. An action toy in the form of a headgear, which toy may be controlled without any externally obvious manipulation by the wearer, said toy comprising:

(a) a headgear section adapted to rest upon the head of the wearer and comprising a skull cap and a housing disposed atopsaid skull cap,

(b) drive means including a drive member rotatable about a vertical axis and a drive spring for rotating said drive member disposed in said housing,

(c) a propeller section releasably supported on the upper end of said drive member,

(d) connection means between said propeller section and said upper end on said drive member for transmitting rotation therebetween but for permitting ready vertical separation therebetween incident to upward movement of said propeller means,

(e) a latch movably supported on said skull cap for engagement with said drive member to restrict its rotation by said drive spring,

(f) biasing means between said skull cap and said latch urging said latch into engagement with said drive member,

(g) a cord connected to said latch and adapted to extend beneath the chin of the wearer of the headgear,

(h) adjustment means on said cord for adjusting its effective length so as to fit snugly beneath the jaw of the wearer so as to be movable by movement of the jaw to move said latch and thereby disengage it from said drive member, whereby said drive spring rotates said drive member which rotates and thus launches upwardly said propeller section,

whereby the wearer of the toy may control the action solely by virtue of moving his jaw and without touching or otherwise obviously manipulating the toy.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 880,633 3/08 Cu-rtis 46-84 2,593,188 4/52 Rikelman 46-88 2,760,304 8/56 Chirco et a1. 46-81 2,781,753 2/57 Formis 46-84 X RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

JOHN M. HORAN, Examiner. 

1. AN ACTION TOY IN THE FORM OF A HEADGEAR WITH A LAUNCHABLE PROPELLKER MEANS, SAID TOY COMPRISING: (A) A CAP ADAPTED TO REST ON THE HEAD OF THE WEARER, (B) ROTATABLE PROPELLER MEANS RELEASABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID CAP, (C) A ROTARY DRIVE MEANS ON SAID CAP ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID PROPELLER MEANS TO ROTATE SAID PROPELLER MEANS AND THEREBY LAUNCH IT, (D) A LATCH ON SAID CAP RELEASABLY RESTRICTING THE ROTATION OF SAID DRIVE MEANS, AND (E) A CORD CONNECTED TO SAID LATCH AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND UNDERNEATH THE JAW OF THE WEARER IN CLOSE ENOUGH PROXIMITY THERETO TO BE MOVABLE BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE JAW TO RELEASE SAID LATCH, WHEREBY THE WEARER MAY FREE SAID PROPELLER MEANS TO ROTATE UPWARDLY AND CLEAR OF SAID CAP BY MERELY MOVING HIS JAW. 